The invention relates to a motor vehicle, with at least one control device, a thermal imaging camera and an image processing device, wherein the image processing device is designed for recognizing objects on a thermal image of the thermal imaging camera.
Driving assistance systems that provide safety and comfort functions are becoming increasingly important in modern motor vehicles. To make data that adequately reflect the environment available to the driving assistance systems, the sensors in motor vehicles is likewise becoming increasingly important. Above all, thermal imaging cameras are increasingly installed in high-end vehicles. Here, two systems are generally used. On the one hand, active thermal imaging cameras are used where the field of view of the camera is illuminated with infrared light. Such system provides image information similar to image information that can be recorded by a conventional camera, or image information as seen directly by the driver. This camera has the advantage that the environment can be similarly illuminated, such as illuminated with a high beam, without blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles.
Alternatively, passive infrared cameras are frequently used. In these cameras, only the infrared radiation emitted by objects is recorded. The strong point of these cameras is that animals or pedestrians on the road can be detected. Vehicles in series production already use systems that can detect pedestrians and give warning signals when a pedestrian moves toward the road or the vehicle.